A young hockey player's first out-of-town tournament is in many ways a rite of passage in the sport. It means the first time seeing players from other parts of the country or world and gauging where one's game stands against that of peers. It's hours on end at the rinks, parents nursing weak coffee in frigid bleachers, knee hockey in the hotel hallway, a whole lot of pizza, pool parties, bewildered hotel guests wondering where all these rowdy children came from and an exasperated staff that has all but given up on containing them.
As the years go on, the tournaments get more serious, and the stakes get higher.